We are proud to salute 2010 Communitas Award Winner Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey (Hackensack, NJ), which prides itself on providing comfort for cancer survivors as well as being environmentally responsible. Created in honor of former Saturday Night Live performer Gilda Radner, who succumbed to cancer in 1989, the club provides free support for persons living with cancer, as well as their families and friends. With encouragement from The Marcus Group (TMG), a communications firm based in Little Falls, NJ, Club President Ruth Dugan used approximately $500,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources to renovate the club’s facilities according to “green” principals. In just three months, the clubhouse was transformed into a chemical-free structure furnished entirely with environmentally friendly materials. The refurbishment was critical for visiting cancer patients, whose immune systems are frequently compromised by chemotherapy and related medications and treatments. The Greening of Gilda’s Club transcended the renovations to include the usage of “Greening the Cleaning” products, a line of chemical-free household cleaners created by project consultant Deirdre Imus, wife of radio personality and prostate cancer survivor Don Imus. AMCP judges were so impressed with Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey’s commitment to and love for its cancer patients and their families and friends that they bestowed a Communitas Leadership Award for Green Initiatives. Please be sure to visit www.communitasawards.com for a complete list of winners from the recent Communitas Awards competition.